Good morning from Riyadh! I’m excited to finally share the gear I’ve been loving when traveling with my little one! For tiny babes I have an old post Re: traveling with babies age 0-6M (sigh I miss those easy flights!), but today’s post is for older babies & toddlers.
I’m so blessed in my line of work to have the opportunity to really try out different things to figure out what works best; I’ll never take it for granted! After going through different combinations of products, the items below are what works for me especially if I’m traveling with Iya alone! It’s a ton of stuff to haul around but with a little real-life Tetris with your bags, its do-able! Here are the MOST brilliant toddler travel solutions that I’ve rigorously tried and tested!
Doona
Doona is the most brilliant baby product on the market so if your little one is still within the height & weight limits, I’m SO jealous lol!! On their website currently I only see a weight limit of 28lbs but I remember reading a height limit of 32″ over the summer when we retired it. Iya has always been petite so we were able to use it all the way up to 24M (she’s still under the weight limit but outgrew it by height) but I’d guess most babies would get a little over a year of use, sigh! They need to come out with a toddler solution ASAP!
WAYB Pico
Wooooo!!! WAYB really filled a huge gap in the market — a compact, lightweight convertible car seat! While it isn’t fun, traveling with an infant car seat isn’t anything unfamiliar.. you can buckle it in & out of cars, snap it on your stroller frame and go as you would at home. Once they outgrow it.. then what?? I always see parents lugging their huge convertible seats around the airport on dollys. But again.. then what?! We very rarely travel in such a way that we settle in with one car at our destination. We’re constantly hopping in and out of taxis, taking public transportation, traveling from one place to the next. I got very nervous over the summer when Iya outgrew her Doona right before a trip to New York, but my prayers were instantly answered when I discovered WAYB.
Guys… this forward-facing car seat is only eight pounds! 8!!! They have a great backpack available for it too which makes traveling a breeze, we took Ubers all over NYC, to Central Park, etc and had it on our back. While we didn’t look the sexiest.. at least my baby was safe!
We even use it on flights! It keeps her from squirming & running around, its seriously so great! Now if only it could turn into a stroller too, wahh!
RECALL ALERT!
WAYB issued a voluntary recall on seats manufactured between 2/1/19 – 5/12/19 because of a defect on the headrest. They are working to replace the headset free of charge to everyone in the recall window (that includes mine!); there haven’t been any injuries at all but they’re being proactive & I really admire that! The manufacture date & serial number are on the underside of the seat; as with all baby items be sure to register yours to always be up to date on safety info & recalls. If yours is in the recall window but has no damage to the part in question, it is still safe to use but please refer HERE for all of the official & up to date info directly from the brand.
Babyzen Yo-Yo
Silvercross Jet Stroller (below)
Jetkids Bed Box
These are all of my absolute must-have toddler travel solutions for places that are far from home. Comment below with what you absolutely *NEED* on your packing list!
Great tips, girl!!